Marissa
Marissa Cooper was one of the main characters of The O.C., and is the on-and-off girlfriend of Ryan Atwood. Marissa was among the original "core four" characters on The O.C. until her death in the Season 3 finale, "The Graduates." Character arc Season one In the show, Marissa is a rich socialite in Newport Beach, whose family was about to go through some dramatic changes throughout the season. First, Marissa's father, Jimmy Cooper, was caught committing fraud and eventually went bankrupt. Later, Marissa discovered that her boyfriend, Luke Ward, was cheating on her. During this time, she began to abuse drugs and alcohol and collapsed while she, Summer Roberts, Ryan Atwood and Seth Cohen were on a trip to Tijuana. Throughout the first season, Marissa was involved in an on-again, off-again relationship with Ryan, with the relationships being interrupted by Luke and Oliver Trask, respectively. Oliver eventually was discovered to be mentally unstable and hiding an unhealthy obsession with Marissa. During this time, her mother, Julie Cooper, was romantically involved with Kirsten Cohen's father, Caleb Nichol. During a brief break-up with Caleb, Marissa's mother had a fling with Marissa's ex-boyfriend Luke, which caused Marissa to run away — strangely enough — to Chino and Ryan's ex-girlfriend Theresa's house. This lead to Ryan and Marissa once again becoming romantically involved. At the end of the first season, Julie and Caleb married, making Marissa stepdaughter to the most powerful, but also the most controversial, man in Newport. She was blackmailed into moving in with her mother and Caleb in their new mansion. Ryan also left her to go back to Chino after it was discovered Theresa maybe pregnant with Ryan's child. Theresa wanted to return there to be with her family and Ryan felt compelled to go with her, effectively ending his relationship with Marissa and leaving her. Marissa as a result once again restarted her drinking. Season two During the second season, Marissa struggled with alcohol and depression, caused largely by Ryan's departure from her life. When Ryan returned it looked like they might rekindle their relationship, however after finding out about her relationship with DJ, the yard guy, Ryan decided they should just be friends which they remained throughout most of the season. Marissa's relationships in the interim period seemed somewhat specifically chosen to take stabs at her mother — first with DJ, the lawn boy, and then a lesbian relationship with Alex Kelly, Seth's ex-girlfriend. Marissa moved out of her mother's house briefly to live with Alex, returning home once she and Alex broke up. Her relationship with her mother improved little throughout the season. She did eventually rekindle her relationship with Ryan after a period of friendship and growing gradually closer, paticularly as she helped him with his brother Trey after he was released from prison. However this support Marissa provided Trey with for Ryan resulted in Trey getting the wrong idea, and under the influence attempting to rape her. This caused inevitable tensions between Trey and her, which Ryan picked up on and became suspicious of, causing difficulties in their relationship. Ryan eventually found out about the attempted rape, which lead to a confrontation with Trey and turned violent. Trey had Ryan pinned down to the ground and was strangling him, when Marissa, having been warned by Seth and Summer, turned up and pleaded with Trey to let Ryan go. Trey continued despite this, and Marissa picked up a gun and shot Trey to save Ryan's life. Season three As the series' third season opened, Marissa was under investigation regarding the shooting of Trey Atwood. In an effort to shield her daughter, Julie attempted to obstruct justice by bribing Trey into accusing Ryan. Marissa becomes aware of this, and convinces Trey to confess the truth, detailing that Marissa fired only to protect her boyfriend, resulting in Ryan being let free and Marissa facing no legal liability as she was defending another person's life using proportional force in the circumstances. Despite a lack of legal repercussions, the event caused Marissa to be expelled from The Harbor School, as it was cited along with her past of flagrant shoplifting and substance abuse. She eventually was readmitted after a campaign to let her in from Ryan, Seth and Summer with the suprising assistance of Taylor Townsend as well. However while at Newport Union she befriended a local surfer called Johnny Harper, who eventually fell in love with her and caused rifts in her relationship with Ryan. However Marissa confirmed her committment to Ryan, and wrote Johnny a letter saying that whilst he was her friend and she cared for him, she would never love him. This resulted in Johnny falling to his death after a drinking spree, which eventually caused further riffs and distance for Marissa and Ryan from each other. They broke up shortly afterwards, conceding their relationship was not working. Marissa then fell for Volchok, whom she broke up with him when she found him cheating on her at the prom. Death During The Graduates, Marissa was presumed dead after a car crash caused by Kevin Volchok, who had been driving intoxicated and was trying to stop her. She died in the arms of her true love Ryan Atwood. Character legacy Season four In The Avengers a ghostly Marissa appears to Summer, when she returns to the adjoining bedrooms they shared together, for the first time since Marissa's death, this causes Summer to fast track her trip back to Brown and leave Newport. Marissa's death has a significant impact on the entire fourth season which is most explicitly examined in the episode The Chrismukk-huh? where Ryan and Taylor Townsend, both in comas, enter into an alternate universe where he has never moved to Newport Beach, and the lives of most major characters are completely changed. While trying to find out what is happening in this reality, Taylor stumbles into Marissa's bedroom. She surprises Julie's maid, who tells Taylor that "Miss Cooper's" plane arrives at 3 o'clock from Berkeley. Taylor then sees a photograph of Marissa and Julie on her desk, which leads her to believe that Marissa is still alive in this alternate universe. After Taylor tells Ryan the news, he immediately wants to go to the airport to see Marissa. Taylor does not want him to in fear that Ryan, who is still recovering from Marissa's death, would be willing to spend the rest of his life in a coma if he could be with Marissa. At the airport Ryan catches a glimpse of a girl with a pink Berkeley sweatshirt tied around her waist. The sweatshirt resembles the one worn by Marissa in The Day After Tomorrow. Ryan grabs her shoulder and realizes that it was not Marissa, but her sister, Kaitlin. Kaitlin then explains to Ryan that her sister died three years ago in an overdose in Tijuana. Ryan then returns to Newport Beach, realizing that he can never be with Marissa again, alternate universe or not. At first, Ryan and Taylor believe they need to restore the relationships that existed before Marissa's death in order to wake up. However, it becomes apparent that both Ryan and Taylor need to battle their internal demons instead. For Taylor, her demon is her mother, for Ryan, it is getting over Marissa. Back in the real world, Kirsten finds a letter from Marissa addressed to Ryan, but does not read it, and hands it over to Julie, who subsequently reads the letter. In the letter, Marissa wrote that she still loved Ryan, but would be leaving Newport because she knew that it was the best thing to do, so that they could both move on. She stated that when she got back, they might try again, as they would both be older and wiser. The letter is eventually placed right beside Ryan, which allows the letter to be "delivered" to Ryan in the alternate universe. Ryan then goes to the beach, and upon discovering the letter, reads it. He finally says goodbye to Marissa and exits the alternate universe. In the final episode, Marissa appears as Ryan's final flashback as he reflects on his life in Newport. As he backs out of the driveway, Ryan remembers seeing Marissa standing on the corner watching as he and Sandy drive away when Ryan thought he was not coming back to Newport. Relationships :See: Marissa Cooper/Relationships Memorable quotes :See: Marissa Cooper/Quotes Appearances Season 1 * Pilot * The Model Home * The Gamble * The Debut * The Outsider * The Girlfriend * The Escape * The Rescue * The Heights * The Perfect Couple * The Homecoming * The Secret * The Best Chrismukkah Ever * The Countdown * The Third Wheel * The Links * The Rivals * The Truth * The Heartbreak * The Telenovela * The Goodbye Girl * The L.A. * The Nana * The Proposal * The Shower * The Strip * The Ties That Bind Season 2 * The Distance * The Way We Were * The New Kids on the Block * The New Era * The SnO.C. * The Chrismukkah That Almost Wasn't * The Family Ties * The Power of Love * The Ex-Factor * The Accomplice * The Second Chance * The Lonely Hearts Club * The Test * The Rainy Day Women * The Mallpisode * The Blaze of Glory * The Brothers Grim * The Risky Business * The Rager * The O.C. Confidential * The Return of the Nana * The Showdown * The O.Sea * The Dearly Beloved Season 3 * The Aftermath * The Shape of Things to Come * The End of Innocence * The Last Waltz * The Perfect Storm * The Swells * The Anger Management * The Game Plan * The Disconnect * The Chrismukkah Bar Mitz-vahkkah * The Safe Harbor * The Sister Act * The Pot Stirrer * The Cliffhanger * The Heavy Lifting * The Road Warrior * The Journey * The Undertow * The Secrets and Lies * The Day After Tomorrow * The Dawn Patrol * The College Try * The Party Favor * The Man of The Year * The Graduates Mentioned Season 4 *The Avengers *The Chrismukk-huh? *The End's Not Near, It's Here Cooper, Marissa Category:Coopers Cooper, Marissa Category:The core four